Final assembly of a revised version of the Paul C. Buff Einstein 640 monolight is slated to commence next week, says company founder Paul Buff. Shipping could get underway as soon as next week too, once the first fully-assembled units are tested and prepped for delivery.

The new Einstein 640, which the company refers to informally as Einstein 640 v2, is meant to address shortcomings in the original design including short range with PocketWizard wireless radio remotes, occasional excessive heat buildup when the modeling light is used and problems related to 220VAC operation.

In addition, the front reflector mount has been reworked to provide smoother engaging and disengaging of the mechanism, a tighter grip on attached reflectors, less wobble and a more polished appearance.

Original Einstein 640s will be swapped for Einstein 640 v2s at no charge. Paul C. Buff is covering the full cost of replacement units, shipping of those units to customers and the return of original Einsteins to the company as well.

In the U.S., the replacement program will be handled out of Paul C. Buff's Nashville, Tennessee-based headquarters. The plan for Canada is still being finalized, says Buff, but will likely see Canadian Einstein 640 owners ship their original units back to a Canadian location, thereby avoiding cross-border product return hassles.

Paul C. Buff will be shipping out replacements to existing owners and filling new Einstein 640 orders concurrently. Buff expects that the backlog of new orders could take upwards of six weeks to work through. All Einstein 640s shipping from this point forward will be the v2 variety, including by Paul C. Buff Europe and Paul C. Buff Australia.